Sunday, September 11, 2011

First let me just say again thank you to everyone who stopped by last week to celebrate my blogs one year anniversary. I know I was supposed to post the winners yesterday but I forgot I had a crop to attend.... I knew you would understand. LOL!

Day 1-5 will get an flat rate envelope filled with goodies. Day 6 wins Sugar and Spice lite cartridge. Day 7 wins the Freshly Picked cartridge. If you didn't get an e-mail from me please send me an email with your address. (stephantics AT gmail DOT com)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Today (and yesterday) are cartridge giveaway days! This last week has been crazy! I have not stopped running. It's been...blog partying, camping trip, school starting, softball for my little girl, baseball for the boy, new puppy, beach trip, and work! WOW! I didn't have time to add any projects for today so I decided I would answer some of the questions asked and just share.

This is our new puppy...his name is Dodger. He will be 11 weeks old tomorrow and the best part...already house trained! YEAH!!

Day 1 - Pillows - The buckwheat pillows offer great support for the head and neck while sleeping. I get mine from Buckwheat Co. They are nice and full when you get them, I even had to remove some of the hulls. This is good because over time the hulls will breakdown so I can just replace them with what was removed in the beginning. The pillow material is a canvas and the zipper makes it easy to add and remove the hulls. Thanks Amy for the tip on gathering material!

Day 2 - Bento Boxes. Leanne they are dishwasher safe on the top rack only though. They also will fit inside the soft side lunch boxes that Pottery Barn and other companies sell. The kids have loved taking their lunch this year. It tastes better than what they were getting at school and is more healthy too.

Day 3 - Bring on the Endorsement Deals - The fabulous paper...I could not begin to share where I got it from because I have had it in my stash for a really long time....years even. When I saw it I knew I had to have it even though I had no idea what I was going to use it on. When I started to design this page I knew it would perfect!! Did anyone else notice that I made a MISTAKE on the page? Can you tell me what it is...I just noticed it in the pictures. (leave another comment for more chances to win).

Day 5 - Couchtime - I wanted to share some more information about the Growing Kids Gods Way class. There is a lot of information on this site and in the books. I think everyone wants to have great kids that we can be proud of. Unfortunately they didn't come with instructions and the way our parents did things may not work like it did when we were younger. The more resources we have available to us the better. I really love everything that Growing Kids Gods Way has to offer from infants all the way up to teenagers. If you have time it is definitely worth it to check it out.

Today is the final day celebrating my first year of blogging. To win just be a follower and leave a comment. For a second chance link my blog to yours to spread the word and leave a second comment.

You can leave comments until Friday evening. The winners will be announced on September 10th.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Remember when I told you that the only thing that I had ever sewn was little squares. When I got back into sewing I thought I should practice my sewing of little squares first. I bought this set of Americana fabric remnants a while back to make this quilt but only recenlty got around to it.

The back is a furry soft taupe color. It reminds me of a quilt that my Great Grandpa made for me for Christmas when I was 5 years old. I still have it and now my kids will occasionally fight over who gets to use Mommy's special blanket.

Here is a closer look at the fabric. I love the different designs and how they all coordinate. Especially the tan with the little american flags. I don't know how to quilt and don't have time right now to learn so I decided I am going to tie each of the corners where the squares meet with matching yarn. This will also hide some of the little uneven spots where the squares didn't quite line up perfectly.

I hope you liked what I have to share with you today.

Don't forget to comment for a chance to win. For a second chance post a link back to this giveaway and then leave a second comment telling me so. Winners will be announced in just a few days.

And don't forget to come back tomorrow for the last day of the giveaway.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Do you ever want to spend time with your hubby without the kids interrupting? Last year my Hubby and I attended a class called Growing Kids Gods Way at a local church . It was a great class about teaching kids (and parents) so many different things and how to live a life with God in your heart.

In the class the kids learned that "couch time" meant they were to play quietly without interrupting their parents. There are a lot of benefits other than the few minutes for mom and dad to talk. The kids learn to play together quietly, how to respect rules and about nurturing relationships. We don't have couch time everyday but it's nice to take 10-15 minutes and have grown up time.

The couch was made using George and Basic Shapes and my Gypsy to weld. There are 3 separate layers to give the couch dimension. The first layer is the arms, which is a circle and rectangle, welded. Then I added a long rectangle between them with a stretched oval on top to create the cushion and the second layer. For the final layer I stretched the oval and the long rectangle up to create the back of the couch. I inked all the edges then used pop dots to separate the layers. You can see them here.

I cut a shadow and put the couch on the shadow to separate it from the background. The background and couch were the same color but a different shade so it was lost without the shadow. Then I used a pop of color ribbon to tie around the couch because it was too plain for me.

The title is from Opposites Attract I welded the shadow but left the top layer separated.

I dotted the "i" with some bling then added some felt flowers from SU to the top of the page and the couch. I'm going to put this in a frame that we can put out on the coffee table so the kids know Mom and Dad are not to be interrupted! (unless there's a fire ...LOL)

I hope this will inspire you to take some time for you and your hubby or for yourself and let the little ones know how important it is to nurture all relationships.

Thanks for checking me out today and don't forget to enter to win the day 5 goodies!

All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment. For a second chance link this post to your blog and leave a second comment telling me you did.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

I have another LO for you. In June 2009 my brother-in-law came to visit and we all went to the Secret Gardens at the Mirage Hotel. Living in Las Vegas there is always something to go see or do.

I initially bought this paper because I liked the back but when I saw these pictures I knew the other side with all the abstract flowers would be perfect. I made more flowers using Mothers Day Bouquet. I cut them in different sizes and colors to layer them then added BIG bling to the large flowers and 3 small blings to the little flowers. These BIG blings are about 1/2" wide. I got them for super cheap from Oriental Tradings Scrapbook section. I needed to spend $3 more for free shipping so it was well worth it!

I used the olive colored twine to separate the flowers on top from the journeling box near the bottom then tied twine. Again I used Kiwi Lane Designs Large and Mini brackets with this LO. It was kind of my theme for the day crop I was attending. They are so easy and quick! I love them!

This is my husbands mother, Wanda and brother. Wanda passed away about 6 months after this picture was taken. She bravely fought ovarian and breast cancer for over 3 years. She lived with our family for the last few years of her life, which was nice because my kids were able to know their Grandma. She was a wonderful lady to all who knew her. Many of my friends were jealous because my mom-in-law was so great!

The title is from Songbird. First time I used this cartridge and I don't know what took me so long! I love the font.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway. All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment. For a second chance link this post to your blog and leave a second comment telling me so.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Today I have a super cute LO I completed at my last crop. My hubby and I were wondering through the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and went into Brookstone. This miniature golf cart caught Dylan's eye and he wanted to play in it. He was just adorable sitting there honking the horn!

Because golfers get big money from endorsements I thought this title would be cute. I used glitter Thickers for parts of the title and and my G to weld "Endorsement". Then I doodled a little.

For the golf balls I just cut circles, embossed them using mt dots folder then tied some twine in different colors.

I used the large and mini brackets from Kiwi Land Designs to create my journeling box and the background for my title. The hole flag was cut using the G and Cricut then I used more twine to tie on the flag.

The golf cart is from Paperdolls as is the bag. I cut the cart several times then removed the areas I didn't want to create the different layers and colors. On the bag I doodled the detail so it was easier to see then added platinum stickles on the club heads and rims of the golf cart.

This was one of my favorite things about the page, the green. I found this paper years and years ago and just knew that I would use it some day. It is hard to explain but it is spongy, soft and airy, just like grass. It was the perfect addition to the rough at the bottom of the page.

Thanks for stopping by to see what I have done. Remember to enter my day 3 giveaway, a stuffed flat rate envelope. All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment. For a second chance link this post to your blog and leave a second comment telling me so.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Welcome to day 2 of my week long Blog Birthiversary celebration. Today I have for you BENTO BOXES! They are all the rage in lunch from home for the kids right now. I got these from Pottery Barn but there are other places that have them too. They have small compartments that you can just toss in grapes, carrots, crackers, lunch meat and cheese or whatever else without all the little containers with lids or bad for the environment baggies. I thought they were kind of plain so I decided to fancy them up a bit.

I started with my Gypsy and made each of the kids first and last name along with their teachers name and room number in case they were lost. They were still too plain for me though....

So I decided some graphics would be cool. My son picked this one from the Dude! cartridge. He thought it would be cool to have him jumping over his name.

For Syd she picked butterflies, then flowers, then butterflies...well you get it so I decided on butterflies. I convinced her it was best and it would match her backpack, which has butterflies. A girl has to match right?

I have worked with vinyl only one time in the past. I was hired to make a logo for a local business to put on the outside of their door. That time I used Cricut transfer paper and paid $9.99 for two 12" x24" rolls to get the image on the door. I thought it was expensive, too sticky and took a long time to get the transfer off the vinyl. This is white shelf liner that I picked up for about $6.00 and the roll is 18" by 24 FEET, lots for a little! It works AWESOME! If you get a chance try using vinyl on your next project.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway. All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment. For a second chance link this post to your blog and leave a second comment telling me so.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Welcome to the Anything Goes Blog Hop. I put together this hop to celebrate my one year Blog Birthiversary and to kick off a weeks worth of giveaways! I can't believe I have been doing this for a year! I have loved every minute of it. I decided to make the theme for this hop Anything Goes because I have been trying my hand at other things crafty beyond paper and wanted to share with you what I have created.
Today I'm sharing....pillow cases. My kids and I have buckwheat pillows and we take them with us whenever we go on vacation. The problem was the cases that came with our buckwheat pillows were white, just like most hotel pillows and we have been oh so close to forgetting them. I thought if I made new cases then we will surely notice and remember to bring them back home with us.

Here are four of the cases that I made. I made 9 total using different fabric combinations.

On this first one I could not figure out how to get the finished seam on the inside and outside so I decided to add some ribbon to cover my oops. I didn't think it was bad for my first attempt and I kind of like the ribbon trim.

The second went much smoother. I love these owls and there are little "zzzzz" all over too.

This one was one of the last ones and here I discovered that if I ironed my seams flat after sewing other pieces would sew together much easier and look better. With each one I got better and more brave.

This was my final one...I decided to gather the trim color at the end. It took a few tries because I wasn't sure exactly how to gather material . You have to make the stitch really loose for it to gather easily. I broke a few threads and had to start over...is there a better way? Sewing experts feel free to share?

Here is a closer look. I thought they all turned out pretty good since the only thing I had ever attempted were squares for a quilt and that is still unfinished. I really enjoyed sewing and found it quite relaxing too. I'm sure I will find more sewing projects in the future.

Now on to the goodies. I have the first of FIVE envelopes filled with goodies to give away today. All you have to do is be a follower and leave a comment. For an additional chance to win post this link to your blog and leave a second comment telling me so. Winners will be picked by random Pete* and announced on September 10th. Remember to check back for the next 7 days because I'm having a give away a day.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Today I am sharing some great news with you. On September 1st I will be hosting my first Blog Hop for my first Blog Birthiversary. The ANYTHING GOES blog hop. I love all things crafty and have recently tried my hand on some new to me things and want to share them with you. The hop will kick off a weeks worth of giveaways. The rules are simple. Be a follower and post a comment each day. For an extra daily entry post my giveaway for the day to your blog with a link back to the giveaway and then leave a second comment. I have lots of stuff to give away. I have filled 5 flatrate envelopes that are ready to mail with all kinds of different goodies and I am also giving away 2 cartridges. Check back each day beginning September 1st and enter to win!

ANYTHING GOES Blog Hop

Thank you for the last year!

I have had so much fun sharing the things I have created and reading all your comments.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Dylan lost his first tooth...finally. Most of the kids started losing their teeth in Kindergarten. He lost his first on Jan 21, 2011 about half way through first grade. He was so excited but nervous at the same time. I had to convince him that I was not going to pull on the twine, just tie it around the tooth, hanging by nothing.

I used SU paper. The colors are perfect for boy pages, marina mist, soft suede, not quite navy and crumb cake. I used the tooth fairy from A Child's Year.

I let Dylan pick the twine color and thought it would be cute to use the same color and tie it around the tooth.

The "somethings" letters are from Birthday Bash and the shadow was welded with the Gypsy. The "missing" are from Wild Card. I dotted all the i's with gem brads then added some ribbon in the back ground.

I really like pages that have a lot going on but I have come to realize that I will never get caught up if I do every page like that. I decided to do some simple layouts along the way so that I will still have those special memories in the books but also have time to make more.

Here's to keepin' is simple and makin' more memories.

Stephanie

P.S. don't forget that my one year Blog Birthiversary is coming soon and there will be lots going on....all week!

About Me

I have been married to my hubby, Mike, for 13 years. He is very supportive of my addiction to paper and glue! We have two little people, a boy and a girl. They are the source of all our entertainment. They both are becoming addicted to paper and glue too. My son told me the other day he wants to be a scrapbook boy and have a blog when he is 10 (he has a few years). My daughter loves to sit in the craft room with me and "help". I love this time with them but also love going to crops with my girlfriends.